The Remains of Hope

The smoke had barely settled on the ground from the last shell when Taro started running. He heard there should be enough canned goods and other supplies still left at this store to last a few more weeks. He just had to be the first to get them. Daily random bombings are normal around here. You just have to use them to your advantage. Taro felt like a buzzard scouting for lunch.

Huffing and puffing as he went, Taro finally made his way to the store. That last blast should have scared away any other raiders in the vicinity. Someone had made some kind of makeshift barricade by the doors. He never wanted to hurt anyone, he just wanted to be sure he was alone. Anyone with sense would leave when trapped between two warring nations. It had been months since the last supply drop from the government for survivors. Deep down, Taro believed they hadn’t forgotten them completely.

As soon as he reached the half-standing wall, he heard a noise. No one should be here. The rumor said it was empty. He shrugged, as they were rarely completely accurate. He crouched under long dead interior wires of the old store a few feet forward and listened. It sounded like someone moaning. No, not moaning. The closer he listened to it, it sounded more like grunts of frustration. He readied his knife as he slinked along the scattered bricks like a cat.

Breath held, he got even closer to the sound. Now, it sounds metallic along with that grunting. He wondered what he was about to encounter as he crept forward. Eventually, he found a corner where he could inspect the source.

A woman in a wheelchair was trying her damndest to pull her chair out of some rubble, but it wasn’t going anywhere. Taro breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t look like the other scavengers. She was actually beautiful, with a lovely tan skin that looked like 24 karat gold in the setting sun. Taro took a hard swallow. He could either be doing a good deed or about to get himself brutally murdered. He always was a sucker for a pretty face.

“Excuse me, but uh… do you need a hand?” Taro asked as he slowly stepped away from his hiding place. His hands raised in the air. He slid his knife into a holster on his belt moments before. In a flash, the woman held a shotgun aimed at Taro. “Another scavenger, huh?” Taro took a deep breath and moved closer. “I don’t mean any harm. Although, I think they shouldn’t have left you.” The woman cracked a smile and placed the shotgun in her lap. “If you want to be helpful, you know what they say. ‘Talk is cheap.’”

Taro couldn’t help but blush at the woman’s smile. He knew he shouldn’t be out here finding love in rubble, but if it happens, it happens. He quickly cut the rope that wrapped around her wheels. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were you tied here?” The woman watched him closely as he went to work. “Although I may not be the best runner here in ground zero, I do have a decent brain. I don’t look too bad either.” Levity. That’s something he had been missing. He finally cut through the rope. That’s when he felt the cold metal to his temple.

“Thank you, kind sir. Now, I’m no fool. I don’t want to hurt you, so why don’t you let me wheel away peacefully and have a great day.” Taro laughed as the pistol bounced on his temple. “Oh? Now, which one of us is actually in danger?” In one smooth move, he placed the edge of his blade against her wrist.

He slowly stood. “I think you might need that hand to get out of here.” The woman sighed and shrugged her shoulders, placing her pistol somewhere in her chair. Taro placed his knife back in its holster. “Unfortunately for you, I have a big heart, and I doubt you have anywhere else to go. If you tell me where your captors were keeping their supplies, you can come with me.” Taro did his best to be chivalrous as he bowed to her, with a flourish, of course. The woman rolled her eyes.

“Two rooms down, move the empty crates, and you’ll find what you’re looking for under the floorboards. I doubt you can carry it all alone.” She watched him intently. “Thank you, my dear.” Following the woman’s directions, he reached the location. He slowly and carefully moved the crates. He traced an almost perfectly cut square in the floor. His eyes scanned the room. He discovered a handy crowbar. With a little effort, he could wedge it into the edge and lift up. Nothing could contain Taro’s grin. It was a nice haul of food, water, and a few fun things that would live much easier. Just as the woman said, there was no way he could carry all of it. But, there was no way in hell that he was going to let anybody else get their hands on it. He could hear rocks moving in the background.

“Good job, Mr. Hero.” The woman said as she wheeled up behind him. “Well, you were right. I can’t carry all of this. Have any ideas, Ms. Einstein?” The woman laughed and pointed to a nearby cart. “Hook that up to my chair and I’ll help you transport it if you want to play security guard.” Taro shrugged. “Sounds good to me, I’ll lead the way.”

They slowly made it back to the compound, a former mall, before it got dangerously dark. “Taro, who is that with you?” The guard pointed his gun at the woman, who was out of breath with her arms up in the air. “This is our beautiful lady of salvation. Not only did she help me find this bounty, she also transported some of it herself.” Taro unhitched the cart from her chair. “I’m Nita. Nice to meet you. Lovely place you got here.” Nita had just caught her breath enough to give a nod. The guard lowered his gun.

Later on inside the compound, Taro showed her to a room. “This will be your suite. It’s right across from mine, just in case you decide to betray us in the end. But, I don’t think you will.” Nita laughed and got on the bed. It was a fairly decent mattress with a clean pillow. “Well, I guess these beds must have come from the old department store.” Taro sat down in a recliner nearby. “You are sharp.” He said with a wink. “You know,” he said as he reached into his pocket. “It’s rare for me to run into a resourceful, beautiful woman like you.” Nita rolled her eyes. “Let me rest, I’ll think about it in the morning.”

Taro blushed bright red. “No, I’m not asking about that… I mean, unless you… want it,” he stammered in his words, in nervousness. Nita laughed hard at that. “It wouldn’t be the first time. That’s why they rescued me before.” She gestured with a huge air quote. “Well, at least the idiot was attractive, so I didn’t really mind it.”

Taro sighed. He did not know what she had been through up to now. “Hold out your hand, Nita.” She reluctantly moved her palm toward him. Slowly, he lowered a golden, heart-shaped locket into her hand on a long chain. “What’s this?” Nita asked as she examined it. Taro smiled at her wistfully. “It was my mother’s. When she first moved to this country, she put a small piece of her mother’s apron in it. So, no matter where she was, she was home.” Nita opened it and touched the fabric. “It’s lovely. But, I don’t understand why you’re giving it to me.” Taro slightly blushed and brushed his hair back. He looked away from Nita for a second and looked back at her. “It’s my good luck charm. Hopefully, it will bring you luck, too. You can be my new good luck charm.”

Nita covered her mouth to hold back a giggle as she nodded. “Taro, is it? I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try. It’s late. Goodnight.” Taro stood. “Goodnight, Nita.” He walked back to his room across from her.

For the first time in a long time, Taro slept well that night.